5 LOVE IN ACTION
www.faithtoday.ca/LIAWilliam Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet, arguably one of the most iconic love stories ever written in thelate 1500s. Jane Austen wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice in 1813 that has seen over ten remakes in movies and TVseries beginning in the 1950s. Hundreds of romantic and romantic comedy movies have been made and continue tobe made. Clearly, something in us loves the idea of love. Something in us desires to be wooed, cared for and ultimately,loved like in the movies.

There’s nothing wrong with desiring love, but
it becomes a problem when all you desire is earthly
love and relationships. First John 4: 8 says, “Whoever
does not love, does not know God, because God is
love.” God is love, and we are made in His image. Of
course, it makes sense that we were created to be
relational beings, to love and to be loved. But the primary source of that love needs to be from God, and if
that’s where your heart is anchored, then any relationship will find its proper place – always second to the
love of God.

At this point, you’re probably wondering when the
advice is going to come about finding your soul
mate. This response may not be what you are looking for, but I implore you to read on. The
common misinterpretation in movies and books that
are so prominent in our present culture, is they
emphasize that a romantic relationship will complete
you, make you happy and make you whole, however,
as followers of Christ that is exactly the mentality we
need to stay away from. We sometimes need to be
reminded that our desire and ability to love comes
from so much more than our relationship statuses.

“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His
good, pleasing, and perfect will” – Romans 12: 2. One of the
problems with being focused on your dream of a future
romance is that it pulls you from the intimate moment you
are in, or should be in, with God. It hinders the way you
love and sacrifice to those around you. It makes you focus
on your desire to be earthly loved, rather than focusing
on serving God to your fullest potential. We tend to forget
that there’s a God waiting for us to accept His
unconditional love.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set
your minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not
on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now
hidden with Christ in God” – Colossians 3:1-3. This
passage goes on to say to put to death all things of the
earthly nature. The world tells us romance and
relationships should be our number one priority. The
bible teaches us differently: to develop a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ first.

So my advice? Stop looking. Stop looking for a person to
make you feel happy, and whole. Because
truthfully, the only being who can sustain that kind of
responsibility and pressure, is the God who made us for
the explicit purpose of loving him, and being loved by
Him. Tap into THAT love, because it’s the only kind that
will never disappoint you, will always persevere and will
never fail. I will assure you that once you develop your
personal relationship with God first, everything else will
follow.

Stop looking around, and look up! Our primary concern should always be to do the will of the Father.

Relationships are wonderful and it can be amazing to have someone supporting you and caring for you. But if you put
all your hopes into that relationship to fulfill your need to be loved, it will cave under the pressure. On top of that,
because of the romanticized nature of our world, we tend to see romance in a very selfish light, and one that’s not
biblical at all. We see dating as a time to discover what that person can do for us. How they can make us feel. How they
can serve us when we need it. And if we’re no longer enjoying ourselves, we find reasons to want out and ultimately
desire to find someone new.

This isn’t how relationships should be. They
should be training for a partnership. Not only that, but a
partnership that has at its center a desire to know and
serve God better. This is the kind of relationship that we
should strive for.

Of course it’s hard to get through writing
about love without drawing on the famous passage
on love from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Start loving those
around you on those terms! Before you start
imagining your male or female friends as potential
spouses, start loving them as God would. Being
patient, kind, humble, protecting them and yourself.